The Darkest Night
by DragonSummoning
Summary: An ancient proverb says: 'The night is darkest right before the dawn comes...'; prepare to witness the step between this mankind's darkest night and the battle for the dawn of a new mankind that comes in the form of new Saints... and Heroes... Rated M for safety.
1. Episode 01: Capricorn

A/N 1: Hello again! For those who actually followed my previous story: 'True Heritage', I've got you sweet-n'-sour news: I'll be re-starting it soon, as I've actually made it even better than how it had been so far. In the meantime, I want you to enjoy this one story I've just started: 'The Darkest Night'. Enjoy, read and review!

A/N 2: Saint Seiya and his characters belong to Masami Kurumada, but my characters and ideas don't, hehehehehe…

**Episode 01: Capricorn.**

The walk had been long, painful and full of obstacles, but Santiago felt that his only salvation was to keep walking, no matter what.

The sun, whose light always guided his steps to the east, told him to do so.

In the nights, the Draco constellation, practically the only one that could be seen in the skies since who knows how many generations, told him to do so.

A shining star that kept guiding him during eleven months in a year on his own, joining the sun when the winter acquired strength, a star named as 'Al Giedi', according to his parents and grandparents, constantly told him to do so, and its call would be fiercer when his strength flawed. He actually felt its voice talk to him through his necklace, a beautifully crafted figure of a half-goat half-fish creature made in black and white, with a few details in red.

Santiago's will was guided by the three of them, like a sword being guided towards the enemy by a skilled warrior in the battlefield. Countless times he had to struggle against the Dark Armies, who were nothing but thugs with arms and armors, and he could become victorious in every single combat, always thanking the sun, thanking Draco and Al Giedi, as he felt guided by them all to victory.

Finally, he had reached his destination. The city he had before him irradiated some sort of light that he felt as strange, as he had never perceived it anywhere else. The city's name was Athens, or at least his mother told him so before he left home. He had reached this city of Athens after several years of walking from his birthplace, a city called Valencia, in the former country of Spain, located in the Iberian Peninsula, at the European far West. Iberia, Spain, Valencia, Europe… all those names were too familiar, yet too strange for him. _'I still wonder where those names come from at all…'_

After some hesitation, Santiago finally felt the urge to cross the border and enter the city of Athens. His long, gold hair shone as he entered the city, and his gray eyes shone in silver. He actually felt lighter and calmer as he crossed the first street, as if he had crossed a barrier that lifted all the weight he carried since he left home, keeping it out and away from him.

As he kept walking, he saw the Sanctuary of Athena. It was a glorious structure, just like his father had described it to him. He was told that men and women of the ancient times before the Total Darkness resided in that Sanctuary and fought alongside with a Goddess. At first he wouldn't believe it, as he thought that the Gods wouldn't meddle in human business anymore, even less after he could sense the actual state of the mankind, every time more and more depraved and depressed; but now that he saw the Sanctuary, casually seeing how the sun shone right behind the giant statue of Athena with the powerful gold light of the dawn, he started to believe that what his father told him could be true.

At such glorious sight, he just smiled and said:

"I made it… Thanks, great Sun; thanks, Draco; thanks, Al Giedi…"

Right after saying those words, Santiago fell to the ground, feeling how his life slipped away from his body.

* * *

A voice would call for him in the deepest darkness:

"Santiago…"

He wouldn't know where this voice came from, or who spoke those words, as he could see nothing, but the voice would call him again:

"Santiago…"

He would try to move, but he didn't feel like he could move. He would try to touch his body, only to realize that he had not a body. He then heard the voice call him one last time:

"Santiago, you've done great…"

Santiago spoke, realizing that, even when he didn't have a body, he still had a voice:

"Who is this? Why can't I see a thing? Where am I?"

The voice replied calmly:

"You used to call me 'Great Sun'… but now I can give you a name that could be more appropriate: Apollo…" Santiago did all he could to remember that name: "You will rise again from the death, thanks to the power of Al Giedi, and you will meet me in the Sanctuary of Athena, in the house whose symbol resembles your necklace…"

* * *

As the voice slowly disappeared, he opened his eyes. He remembered falling down on the streets, but now he found himself inside a room, more specifically in a kind-of-female-decorated bedroom. He stood up and looked at the window, seeing that it was already night time. Al Giedi was shining brighter than ever in the skies. He gazed upon that double optic star for a long while until a female voice woke him up:

"It's good to see you're okay, sir. How are you feeling?"

Santiago returned to the bed, a bit surprised by the delicate voice. The first thing he did was to check his neck. As he realized that he still had his necklace, he relaxed again. Then, he took a look at his hostess: a beautiful young lady whose hair was platinum-blonde and long enough to reach her backside, whose amethyst eyes showed both merriness and concern, whose lips showed a gentle smile, whose delicate white skin showed a light tint on her cheeks, and whose godly-shaped body was just covered by a rather old dress, kind of ripped in some parts. He just blushed at her and said, turning his sight away:

"Um, thanks for attending me, my lady. I'm feeling great now, but also I feel a bit hungry. W-Where could I get some groceries around, please?"

The girl giggled at his nervous antics:

"The name's Felicia; and you are?"

"I'm Santiago; pleased to meet you, Lady Felicia."

Felicia smiled, the pink tint turning a bit redder:

"Please, no formalities, Santiago. It's nice to meet you too." Felicia got close to him, who still grabbed the pendant in his neck, and said: "By listening to your name, and your accent, I realize that you must be from a faraway land…"

Santiago nodded:

"I'm Spanish, and I've come so far in order to enter Athena's Sanctuary." Felicia was shown the necklace: "Since I was born, I was put on this necklace, and I've grown with it. Only a few years ago I was told that I'd find its significance here, in Athena's Sanctuary, so I've come all the way here and I've fought a lot of people just to find out about this."

Felicia was just surprised, and the surprise gave place to a sudden sadness:

"So, you are one of the Twelve…"

Santiago was dumbstruck:

"Twelve?"

Felicia replied:

"I was told once that a legendary power had protected that Sanctuary during many generations from the invasion of the Underworld Army, and that, as the last Holy War was lost, the very Heavens would intervene in our favor to draw an entirely new Army of Saints to retake the Earth, beginning with the Twelve."

Santiago nodded at her words:

"The legend of Athena's Army, the Saints that would protect the Goddess of the Earth…"

Felicia nodded, sad:

"Now, since a couple of centuries ago, there has been a group of men who have guarded the Sanctuary, with the motto of 'preparing the arrival of the new Saints and Athena'. The man in charge now is an old bastard called Kawano. He has started training his people in a weird way, as if he wanted the Sanctuary to be actually theirs for the taking…" Felicia started crying: "Nine years ago, he had stolen a necklace from my mother, quite like yours, and killed her… I, I-I haven't been strong enough to avenge her…" As she spoke, Santiago noticed how one of the Sanctuary's houses started shining bright in the night, and Felicia, filling herself with wrath and pain, continued: "They have stolen from me… all what was dearest… t-they tried to s-steal from you too, s-so I…"

Felicia was surprised by a warm hug, one that made her mood feel warm too. Santiago nodded at her, cupping her chin gently, and smiled at her, pointing at the Sanctuary:

"I guess we have to get there."

Felicia felt how she filled herself with strength, as a second star started shining in the dark sky, not too far from Al Giedi. Felicia just said, feeling nostalgic:

"Rukbat…" As Santiago looked at the second lone star, Felicia spoke to him: "My mother used to talk to that star, and now it shines for me…"

Santiago grabbed her hand and said, smiling warmly:

"This star will guide you just like it guided your mother. Help me find out about this necklace's meaning and I'll help you recover your mother's one, okay?"

Felicia was surprised to see how a second house of the Sanctuary started shining too, both houses one close to the other, and both close to the top of the Sanctuary. She turned to the smiling Santiago and said:

"W-Will you help me… a-avenge my mother?"

Santiago nodded, gray eyes locked on amethyst eyes:

"I'll help you bring justice, Felicia. Let's go."

Felicia tightened her grip on Santiago's hand and both left the small house.

* * *

Walking around the Sanctuary, Felicia opened a small gate and led Santiago into a series of underground paths that resembled a three-dimensional maze. After hours of walking, crawling and climbing, they had reached the top of the Sanctuary. As they reached the house of the Patriarch, they could see the shining houses downstairs, so they ran towards them. Felicia, letting Santiago step forward, detailed his well-shaped body and blushed a lot more.

They first crossed a house that had a stone sculpture of two fishes chained by their tails. Then, heading downstairs, they found a second house, which had a statue of a man carrying a vase with water. They went through and walked downstairs, finding the first of the shining houses. It had, inside, a shining sculpture of a half-goat half-fish creature. Beside it, a gold-haired man with golden eyes and a laurel crown on his head smiled at him. He was shining like the sun itself, and he spoke with the same glorious voice Santiago heard after he passed out… or away:

"Yes, you made it, Santiago. Give me your necklace, so you can come with me."

Felicia was both scared and marveled by the powerful presence, while Santiago got close to him, gave him the necklace and disappeared with him.

* * *

Santiago opened his eyes again, finding himself in a rather beautiful land, which had plains that were always full of flowers, which had trees that had myriads of kinds of fruits, which had skies that were always blue; something completely different than the dark and dull Earth. The man he had assumed was Apollo, as the voice he had was identical to Apollo's, spoke:

"You have died, and you have become the very essence of the double star known as Al Giedi. Now, if I can use the necklace, I can prepare you to become the very essence of the constellation Al Giedi belongs to."

Santiago nodded and saw how Apollo took the small necklace on one hand and a dagger in the other one. He cut himself and put his blood on the small figure, and then a huge, awesome reaction made of the small figure a real-sized sculpture of a black-and-white half-goat half-fish creature with details in red. Apollo said:

"In the name of the Olympus, I, Apollo, God of the Sun, give you, Santiago, the Divine Cloth that is the very essence of the Constellation of Capricorn. Wear it, and become the very first Hero of the Olympus."

Santiago nodded, still fearful, and touched the sculpture. He could sense the vast power it had, and then, with just a single touch, the sculpture broke, each piece fitting Santiago's body like a full-plated armor. Santiago didn't feel the armor as heavy as he thought, and felt the incredible power it had. He nodded and bowed:

"I truly appreciate this trust you're giving me, Lord Apollo, and I'll assume all the responsibilities that come with this power."

Apollo nodded and touched his forehead, Santiago feeling Apollo's enormous power:

"The power of that Divine Cloth is also the power you have on your insides, Santiago, and it's like the whole Universe, like the Cosmo itself. Learn how to find it inside of you, so you can wield the Holy Sword that cuts it all, the Heavenly Sword that has been given to your constellation guardians on Earth by the Heavens themselves since immemorial times."

Santiago felt how both his arms turned into really sharp blades, and Apollo nodded at him:

"That's right. Now, it is time to assist your young girlfriend; she's in trouble."

Santiago blushed deeply after those words, but he could say nothing before Apollo teleported him back to the Sanctuary.

* * *

Felicia, already left alone in that third house, started asking herself a lot of questions, like who was that powerful man, where did he take Santiago, why did he take him away, what was that necklace for, and what would happen if she recovered her mother's one. Everything came to her in a few seconds, but her train of thought was interrupted abruptly when she saw an old, fat man, surrounded by his eighty-eight students, arrive to the house where she was:

"Kawano, you bastard…"

The fat man, called Kawano, replied with venom:

"You, silly bitch, have caused all this turmoil, distracting my students from their training in order to become the future Gold Saints of Athena under my command as future Patriarch, even avoiding my students from claiming what's rightfully theirs by defending that stupid foreigner who wore the necklace of Athena, when his fate actually was to bring it to me, just like your mother had to do." Turning to his disciples, he yelled: "Do as you please with her and then kill her!"

The large group of students jumped towards Felicia, but a brilliant white light stopped them.

End of Episode 01.


	2. Episode 02: Sagittarius

A/N: Merry Christmas to you all! It took me a while, but here's Episode 02! Enjoy and review, please!**  
**

**Episode 02: Sagittarius.**

Everyone was utterly shocked to see the shiny gold-haired and gold-eyed man whose eyes reflected wisdom unreachable for any mere mortal, and right beside him, Santiago, who wore a shiny armor colored in black, white and red. Everyone who gathered inside the House of Capricorn could sense the huge power that emanated from the couple of blondes, and Felicia felt protected by them. Kawano said, rather shocked and upset:

"I-Is that the cloth of C-Capricorn?!"

Santiago, not paying attention to anyone, turned to Felicia and asked, concerned:

"Felicia, are you all right?"

Felicia, a bit blushed still, said, also relieved:

"Yes, Santiago, thank you!"

Santiago smiled at her and then turned to the other blonde:

"Lord Apollo, according to Felicia, these bastards stole the necklace of Athena that was guarded by her mother, murdering her in the process. If she can recover it, will she inherit the responsibilities originally meant for her mother?"

Apollo got close to Kawano, who stepped back slowly. Noticing his fear, Apollo said:

"Santiago, Hero of Capricorn, that's right, but in two things I shall correct your affirmation, if you allow me." Santiago nodded at the God of the Sun: "First, the responsibilities were immediately inherited by Felicia the very moment her mother passed away; and second, it's not only her responsibility to recover that necklace, but also yours, as she is meant to be your teammate."

Santiago grabbed Felicia's hand when Kawano yelled, turning back to his group:

"Makoto! Run to the House of Sagittarius! Claim the prize that's yours by rule and defeat this loser! We'll hold them off!"

The young, strong man identified as Makoto ran downstairs as fast as he could, while the rest drew weapons and attacked the trio. Apollo nodded at Santiago, and he covered both his eyes and Felicia's. Then, a terrifyingly powerful light emanated from Apollo's body in the blink of an eye, blinding everyone who looked at it even indirectly. When the light vanished, Santiago and Felicia moved then, attempting to leave the house.

Some of the assailants, feeling their presence, did their best to clutch their ankles or feet, guiding themselves by other senses, given their eyes were nullified. Felicia was caught and pulled down to the floor, and quickly some of the assailants got their hands on her, trying to hurt her as much as possible. Santiago looked at Apollo and he nodded:

"I'll lend you the power tonight, Santiago; defend her and go!"

Santiago felt how his left arm obtained sharpness, so he stretched it and felt Apollo's cosmos in it. The Holy Sword was then slashed over different enemies, all of them yelling in pain and releasing Felicia. She, who could get up again, started running back to the next house. Santiago followed her, and Apollo said:

"I'll get to you in a second!"

Felicia, running down the long stairs, looked at the skies and saw the shining constellation of Capricorn, which shone like never before. Close to it, the lonely star known as Rukbat shone bright, and Felicia stared at it for a brief moment. Suddenly, she heard, deep in her soul:

"This young soul of yours, Felicia, is already prepared to take the oath, but first, you must show your commitment…"

Felicia, resuming her downward running, asked:

"Commitment… what sort of commitment should I show?"

The voice replied:

"For the Father of all Gods, it's more important that you're willing to risk it all to maintain and restore balance than showing that you have power; you must be ready to put your life on the line against the injustice, and if your death aids in restoring balance to the world, then you must be ready to give up your own life…"

Felicia nodded to those words, and she took them deep into her heart. Suddenly, she had arrived to the House of Sagittarius. There was the statue of a centaur, shining in light blue, and right beside it, there was an old, white-haired and white-bearded man, cerulean eyes that showed huge wisdom and power, a blue tunic that resembled the daylight skies.

In front of him, the black-haired man known as Makoto. He ripped the necklace from his own neck, which had the shape of a light-blue centaur, offered it at the old man, and stared in confusion as the old man just did nothing. He started showing his anger:

"I'm the bearer of the Necklace of Athena, you stupid old bastard! Give me the Sagittarius Cloth already; I don't have time to waste!"

The old man turned to a side, directing his powerful blue sight to Felicia, who was entering the hall. She stood behind Makoto, and he turned to her, upset and kind of desperate:

"You won't give me what's legitimately mine because of this useless bitch!?" Makoto then drew a dagger, its blade completely stained with what seemed to be excrement: "Then I'll take care of her, so you can see that I'm the one!"

Felicia looked at the old man's eyes, both realizing who each other was, and then she felt the dagger pierce her belly, blood and flesh in the wound mixing up with the dried excrement. Makoto chuckled after seeing Felicia fall, and when Santiago arrived, all he saw was Makoto spitting at the fallen Felicia's face. Upset, he only could see how Makoto swung his dagger, taking the blood rests off of it, and how he turned to the old man, in a threatening mood, even pointing the dagger at him:

"Now she's gone for good, so the Sagittarius Cloth is legitimately mine! Or, do I have to kill you too to get it?!"

The old man started shedding sour tears, seeing Felicia on the ground, sensing how her life slipped away rather quickly, and then his face turned into an expression of infinite wrath, something that scared Makoto, who ran away in fear. All of a sudden, as he left the House of Sagittarius, he couldn't give one step out of it when a powerful lightning, come directly from the Heavens, struck him, burning him and turning him into ash in a quick and painful death.

Santiago got close to Felicia, crying of pain while seeing the infected wound, and he tried to do something to clean it, but it was too late already. The old man walked to the ashes and grabbed the Necklace of Athena, then getting close to the already dead Felicia. He touched her cold neck and heard how Kawano spoke from a distance:

"Well done, Makoto; your sacrifice won't be in vain…" Turning to Santiago, he said: "You're next, **usurper**…"

The old man saw how Apollo reached the House of Sagittarius, quite hurried up, and said:

"We must take her to my wife, quickly, before Hades takes possession of her soul!"

Apollo and Santiago carried Felicia's corpse and the old man opened a portal, which sucked the whole group into itself. Kawano, still seeing the whole scene, turned upset. _'Could it be that those usurpers have more right than my own students?! That's unfair! Curse you, Heavens!'_

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else, Felicia felt numb, but the earlier voice spoke to her again:

"Be strong, my dear; you've done well…"

Then, a rather amused voice replied:

"Yes, she has, and now I have a soul of the Saints before she could be chosen as such…"

Felicia was confused:

"W-Where am I?"

"You're in the path to the Underworld, as you've died in a violent way. Yet, your steps are slower and heavier than usual, as you've died violently in order to restore balance. That's why Hades, the Lord of the Underworld and the Conqueror of Earth, has come directly to destabilize you, in order for you to lose your faith."

The amused voice, identified as Hades, turned serious:

"You're heading to my kingdom, and no one will be able to draw you out, so get ready to become my _humblest_ servant…"

The voice of Rukbat replied again, talking to Felicia:

"Keep your faith to the very end, and you'll be freed, just like Santiago was…"

* * *

In the Olympus, the old man tended Felicia's body over a bed. Apollo said:

"Lord Zeus, what will you do?"

Zeus, the old man, whistled a particular tune, and a majestic woman appeared, her dress resembling the feathers of a peacock. Both Apollo and Santiago kneeled before her. She looked at him and then looked at Felicia, quickly speaking in a disapproving tone:

"Trying to save another of your little 'affair girls', my husband?"

Zeus looked at her with deep wrath in his eyes and spoke, his voice turning into a terrifying thunder-like sound:

"No, my lady Hera, it's not a 'lover'; it's one of my Heroes…"

Hera looked at the dead Felicia and scoffed:

"This little girl is one of your 'heroes', Zeus? Nh! She couldn't even dodge a dagger…"

"SHE TOOK IT ON PURPOSE!" Hera was surprised both by the upset tone and the words said by Zeus: "She was willing to sacrifice herself before allowing the Holy Cloth of Sagittarius to be used against her companion, a Hero!"

Hera thought for a second and let all the pieces of the puzzle fit where they had to, speaking calmly now:

"It's the third time it happens to you in this earthly period of two-hundred years, but also this is the first time it happens in your presence. What did they do to her?"

Zeus and Santiago showed her the infected wound and the Father of Gods spoke:

"The Guardians of Athena's Sanctuary have been corrupted before we expected, and they have tried to take the Necklaces of Athena that seal our promise to her in order to use them for their own favor, even using the force for that, attacking our chosen heroes without hesitation or remorse, guided by ambition and lust for power. Apollo could guide the Hero of Capricorn, which you've already met, but I seemed to fail again with my own protégé."

Hera saw Zeus' deep sadness and realized it wasn't a caprice of those he used to have in earlier times. She got close to Felicia's corpse, seeing the horribly and quickly infected wound. She got close to the wound and smelled it:

"Dried cow excrement… Let me handle this. Put the necklace on her hand, as it seems to be broken."

Santiago was sad, almost as sad as Zeus himself, and he put the necklace on her left hand, closing it in order to keep it secured. Hera then focused her immense cosmos, putting her hands on Felicia's heart and in between her eyes. She then frowned, and then she said:

"This is worse than I thought. It'll take a while longer than I expected."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the entry to the Underworld, Felicia felt how Hades' words poisoned her mind, slowly hearing the voice of Rukbat as more and more distant. Also, she felt how her steps turned lighter, and she realized that she got closer to the Great Pit. Hades spoke, chuckling evilly:

"Yes, just a few more steps and you'll be mine; no one has power over your soul but me…"

"I don't think so, Lord Hades."

The dark dome over the Underworld was opened, revealing a light that burned many of the wandering souls, and that bathed Felicia. Hades replied, seeing the peacock-feather lady come down for Felicia:

"She's rightfully mine!"

Hades showed up, a dark armor covering his body, his dark hair falling down his mid back, and his hands wielding a pitch-black sword. He then jumped to Hera, trying both to impale her and avoid her light to reach Felicia, but Hera was simply untouchable for him. When she reached Felicia, holding her hand firmly, Hades aimed his sword at the platinum-blonde:

"I'll dissolve her soul! I promise I will!"

Hera just smiled:

"I just want you to try it, brother…"

Hades tossed a slash at Felicia, but her soul was already bathed in Hera's light, so she was unharmed. Hera simply took her up to the Heavens in a second, and she said:

"We're not as weak as Athena, brother! You better not dare to mess up with us any longer!"

Hades growled, seeing how a powerful soul was taken off from his grasp.

Back at the Olympus, Felicia woke up, gasping a desperately needed breath of air. Hera, meanwhile, started cleansing and healing her whole body and closing her wound by using her cosmos. All Felicia asked was:

"Nngh, where am I?"

Santiago smiled and blushed at her, drying his tears in relief. Zeus smiled at her, so as Apollo. Hera locked her eyes on Felicia's amethyst ones and said:

"She's truly a Heroine, Zeus. Hades seemed to have a particular interest in collecting her soul, so we should be alert on the other future Heroes too."

Zeus nodded and drew a dagger, cutting himself and giving some of his blood to the centaur figure Felicia had. All of a sudden, the figure started reacting, forcing Felicia to let go of it. It turned into a man-sized centaur figure, and then it broke, covering Felicia's whole body like a light-blue armor. Zeus said:

"Rukbat kept you on the right path, and now she has opened the way for you to not only become her, but also for you to become the whole Constellation of Sagittarius. In the name of Olympus, I, Zeus, God of the Lightning, give you, Felicia, the Divine Cloth that is the very essence of the Constellation of Sagittarius. Wear it, and become a Heroine of the Olympus."

Felicia felt how the Divine Cloth of Sagittarius gave her a lot more of energy, also perceiving the huge cosmos it had in itself. Santiago hugged Felicia, and she returned the hug with tenderness, seeing that he hadn't abandoned her. Zeus just said:

"Santiago, Felicia, be ready to start your new path as Protectors of the Sanctuary. Search your very inner cosmos, so you can obtain the true power that is meant for you to have as Heroes."

End of Episode 02.


End file.
